My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 351 New Army!

After understanding this, Liu Rong’s subsequent thoughts on the Hetao issue are foreseeable.

——Although Ling Mian, the first commander of the Feihu Army, had died of illness during the reign of Emperor Taizong, the strict internal review standards ensured that every Feihu commander after Ling Mian would not be a straw bag who was only good at talking big but not doing anything!
At least from the perspective of individual soldier quality and military strength, every Feihu captain is absolutely qualified to serve as a general of any Han army in any war!

At the same time, the appointment of Captain Feihu was reported by the Emperor - note, not the court, but the Emperor!

Due to the appointment of Feihu Duwei, the army has been firmly controlled by Emperor Liu Han since Emperor Taizu Liu Bang, which has enabled this first professional standing field army of the Han Dynasty to maintain its absolute loyalty to the Liu family - at least to the Emperor Liu!
The Feihu Commander sent by the Emperor of Han might not be able to pass the military assessment within the Feihu Army, and thus not be recognized by the Feihu Army;

But without the approval of the Han emperor, the Feihu Army would never recognize an internal officer who met the standards but was not appointed by the court as its general or Feihu Duwei.

Liu Rong didn't know whether such an army could be considered a professional army, the pinnacle of Chinese feudal history.

But Liu Rong knew very well: the standing field army that the Han Dynasty needed was such an iron-blooded force!

To use the words of the ministers inside and outside the court after the "loss of troops and humiliation of the country" defense war during the reign of Emperor Taizong: The Han Dynasty needs a second, third, or even many, many Flying Fox Armies!
It is obvious that Emperor Taizong Xiaowen placed his hopes on the three camps that guarded Chang'an at that time: Xiliu, Bashang, and Jimen - especially Zhou Yafu's Xiliu Camp.

But both Liu Rong himself and people inside and outside the court were very clear: as a standing field army directly under the central government, the personal imprint of Zhou Yafu on the Xiuliying unit was too profound.

It had not come to this point originally;
Originally, among all the officials in the Han Dynasty, only Liu Rong was the emperor of the time. He was unhappy with the Xiliu Camp because Emperor Taizong had reviewed the troops at Xiliu and was told by the soldiers that "the emperor also has to obey the military orders of General Zhou".

But a few years ago, another incident occurred in the Xiuli Camp, which followed Zhou Yafu to suppress the Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu.

——After the war was settled, everyone in Xiuli Camp was prosperous!
Even Zhou Yafu himself was directly "promoted" from Taiwei to Prime Minister of the dynasty, and for a time he was extremely powerful!

But later, when Emperor Xianjing followed his instinct and tried to dismember the Xiliu Camp - at least partially dismember and reorganize it, Zhou Yafu and the people within the Xiliu Camp both took action.

First, Zhou Yafu, relying on his superior status as a hero in suppressing the rebellion and the prime minister of the current dynasty, asked to see the late emperor in an extremely abrupt manner, and said in harsh words: There must be no changes in the Xiuli Camp!

Because in Zhou Yafu's view, the combat effectiveness of Xiuli Camp was the result of his more than ten years of hard training and countless efforts.

If any changes are made to the Xiliu Camp - even if just one soldier is taken away or a soldier from other troops is incorporated, it will have a negative impact on the combat effectiveness of the Xiliu Camp.

Therefore, from the perspective of "serving the country and the people" and "serving the ancestral temple and the country", Zhou Yafu pleaded with Emperor Xian Xiaojing: This glorious army - the army that the entire Han family relies on - must not be allowed to undergo even the slightest change.

Even though Emperor Xianjing knew that it was inappropriate, he could do nothing about Zhou Yafu, who was in the limelight.

——After all, he was a hero who suppressed the rebellion, and he had just returned to the court;

If a farce like "Zhou Yafu returned to the court just as his old troops were defeated" happened, people all over the world would definitely think that Emperor Jing was following the example of his grandfather Liu Bang and abandoning the old army after its death.

However helpless he was, the late emperor knew very well in his heart: Xiuli Camp must not continue to be indulged like this!

However, the opportunity had not come yet, and the late emperor did not reject Zhou Yafu's request. He just dealt with it vaguely, and then summoned Liu Rong to ask Liu Rong for his opinion on the matter.

Liu Rong remembers that day very clearly.

——The late emperor looked extremely bad!

No matter whether it was Zhou Yafu or the arrogant and brave generals in Xiuli Camp, the late emperor wished he could eat them alive!

Liu Rong is not stupid either.

Seeing the old man like this, and Liu Rong himself having a silent liking for Xiliying, he gave a pretty perfect answer.

——We can’t stay in Xiliu Camp!

But the approach must be gentle and require great patience.

After making sure that Liu Rong was not blinded by the 'hero' halo of the Xiuli Camp, and also understanding that there was no other way but to take it step by step, Emperor Xiaojing simply passed over the matter and pretended nothing had happened.

As things developed to this point, the Xiliu Camp was actually dancing on the sensitive nerves of the late emperor.

At the same time, after internal discussions in the Xiliu Camp, a joint petition was submitted: We hope that the late emperor will allow Prime Minister Zhou Yafu to concurrently serve as the commander of Xiliu Camp in light of the outstanding contributions made by the people in the Xiliu Camp!

At this point, the late emperor could no longer suppress his anger, and that night he smashed the Xuanshi Hall upside down!

After the request was sternly rejected and severely reprimanded by the Emperor, the people of Xiliu Camp still refused to give up and chose to "take a step back" - since the Prime Minister could no longer be the General of Xiliu, then let the Prime Minister's son...

I can only say, people~
no Zuo no Die.

Not long after that incident, Emperor Qi fell ill.

Emperor Qi also handed over most of the power of the Han Dynasty's government to the regent prince: Liu Rong.

From the time he was seriously ill and bedridden, ordering the crown prince to govern the country, to his death in the imperial carriage, during the three years, although the late emperor inquired about the major affairs of the court every day, he hardly intervened directly.

Liu Rong would often go to the Xuanshi Hall every evening to report the day's work to the old man;
There was nothing wrong with it. The old man did not comment and let Liu Rong do it.

If there was a problem, the old man would raise it - but he would not directly order Liu Rong to do it according to his own wishes. Instead, he would give Liu Rong a chance to explain.

If Liu Rong could be convinced, the old man would also be able to squeeze out a sarcastic remark like 'Since the prince is confident, I, the 'emperor emeritus', will not interfere rashly'.

If he couldn't convince the old man, Liu Rong wouldn't insist on doing it.

To be honest, during those three years, Liu Rong learned a lot of elite-level "imperial skills" from the old man.

Only Xiuliying!
During those three years, the only thing that the old man would not allow anyone else - not even Liu Rong - to interfere was Xiuliying, and he had to handle it personally.

At the beginning, the emperor Qi temporarily separated some soldiers from the Xiuli Camp on the pretext that "I am seriously ill and dying" to serve as palace guards.

Upon hearing that the emperor was seriously ill, the soldiers of Xiliu Camp naturally had no doubts and proudly took on the sacred mission of "guarding the palace" and "ensuring a smooth transition of power"!

However, Emperor Qi was seriously ill for three full years.

The soldiers of Xiuliying entered the palace one after another, and were transferred for various reasons, some to serve in counties and some to guard the border.

There were also quite a few who retired due to health or age reasons, or who became dissolute after being rewarded for conquering Wu and Chu, and thus broke the law and were punished.

After three years, the Xiuli Camp, which originally had a total of 12,000 soldiers and lieutenants from the six ministries, was reduced to less than 5,000 people by the time Emperor Xiaojing passed away.

These last 5,000 people received the official decree of dismissal after the national mourning for Emperor Xiaojing ended - a full twenty years after Emperor Taizong Xiaowen issued the "indefinite suspension of dismissal order".

The Xiliu Camp was disbanded!

There were voices of surprise and doubt inside and outside the court!
But after learning that of the former six captains of Xiliu, only less than 5,000 old and weak were left, everyone inside and outside the court fell completely silent.

——Everything was Emperor Xiaojing's way of boiling a frog in warm water and quietly solving the problem of the Xiliu Camp! Liu Rong's decree of disbandment was just the last nail in the coffin of the Xiliu Camp.

The Xiuli Camp was disbanded, and the remaining two "brother troops" - the Bashang and Jimen armies - were not spared.

He was not as good at fighting as Xiliuying, but he was as rebellious as Xiliuying - he did not have the life of Xiliuying, and he also had Xiliuying's disease. Liu Rong could not stay.

Since then, Zhou Yafu, who was already full of resentment towards the late emperor and Liu Rong and his son, became even more angry and never attended even the important court meetings during the New Year that required the attendance of Gonghou.

Liu Rong didn't mean to provoke him;

He merely sent someone to tell Zhou Yafu, "I have disbanded Zhou's private army. This is a blessing for the Jianghou family." Then he allowed Zhou Yafu to complain and degenerate.

There was a saying of the late emperor that Liu Rong agreed with very much.

The Han family needed Zhou Yafu, but they could not afford to lose him.
Similarly: The Han needs Xiuliying, but they can also lose Xiuliying.

The Han Dynasty may or may not be able to produce a few more generals like Zhou Yafu, but there will definitely be some who can be used as makeshift.

As long as the Han Dynasty wanted, it could quickly possess many powerful armies like the Xiuliying.

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——The Feihu Army is proof of this!

As long as they are willing to invest the cost and time, and as long as they can afford the logistics, the Han Dynasty can have countless standing field armies like the Feihu Army and Xiuliying!

Emperor Taizu Gao founded his country amidst ruins, yet he was able to establish the Eight Feihu Schools!
Emperor Taizong was a frugal and simple man who lived frugally, but he still invested a lot of money to establish the Six Schools in Xiliu!

The Han Dynasty is now at its peak, having gone through an entire - at least most of the - reign of Emperors Wen and Jing. The national power has already reached an unprecedented level of strength and power!
It doesn't make sense that the Han Dynasty today cannot afford to have three to five standing field armies with a total strength of 60,000 to 80,000 men.

The most important thing is: like Emperor Taizu Gao and Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, Liu Rong also had a similar "opportunity".

The Battle of Pingcheng between the Han and the Xiongnu led Emperor Taizu Gao to set the Han Dynasty's overall national policy of "pacifying the country before resisting foreign aggression", thus leaving behind the Feihu Army as a firefighter for the Han Dynasty's border wall, in the hope that the central government could free up its hands and concentrate on solving internal hidden dangers;

In the 14th year of Emperor Taizong's reign, the war that humiliated all Han people in the world made Emperor Taizong realize the necessity of a second standing field army in addition to the Feihu Army, which gave birth to the Xiliu, Bashang and Jimen armies.

In addition to these three field armies guarding Chang'an, there is even a standing border garrison on the north wall that was retained by Emperor Taizong after the war, and which still exists today and Liu Rong has not issued an edict to disband.

——Juzhu Army!

At present, the Feihu Army is still in the northeast of the Han Dynasty, and the Juzhu Army is stationed in front of the northern wall;
The three camps of Xiliu, Bashang and Jimen were simultaneously disbanded by imperial decree issued by Liu Rong.

Even if we do not consider the need for a standing field army in the northwest of the Han Dynasty after the Battle of Hetao, and the opportunity to establish a standing field army;
At the very least, Liu Rong had to fill the vacancies left by the three battalions of Xiliu, Bashang and Jimen.

In other words: Now that the Hetao Campaign has come to an end, the Hetao and surrounding areas need a standing field army to garrison, which will prompt Liu Rong to set up at least three new standing field armies!

And at least three!
If one follows the same strategy as Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, and adopts the idea of ​​"setting up camp near Chang'an and sending troops out when something happens", then these three forces are just a backup plan.

"Near Chang'an, there are two armies, the Southern and the Northern. But in fact, the Southern Army was already defeated, and it has become a reserve for the children of Fengpei to eat and wait for death."

"There is only the Northern Army, and it is the Northern Army without the constraints of the Southern Army. It has long been a bit inappropriate for them to dominate alone..."

Soon, Liu Rong had a plan in mind.

——Emperor Taizu established the Southern and Northern armies, using the soldiers from Fengpei and the good families in Guanzhong respectively. This was not a decision he made on a whim.

Two imperial guards, and imperial guards with serious conflicts in origin, stance and even interests, can guarantee that these two armies will never come together!
To put it more bluntly: no matter which of the two imperial guards has a problem with their expenditure, the other will stand against them and become the armed force that the emperor can rely on.

It is like when the princes and ministers jointly punished the Lü clan, the Northern Army was instigated by Zhou Bo to rebel, and the Southern Army became the last hope of Emperor Shao Liu Gong.

However, it was more than 30 years ago that Empress Dowager Lu passed away and Emperor Taizong succeeded to the throne.

Although the situation of the Northern Army being the only dominant force was temporarily resolved by Emperor Taizong, who cleverly used the means of saving the country by roundabout means such as the Weiwei, Zhongwei, and Langzhongling, it was ultimately not a long-term solution.

——Or, find a mortal enemy like the Southern Army to balance the Northern Army!

Or, find a new pair of mortal enemies to become the new southern and northern armies of the Han Dynasty.

The former is unrealistic and somewhat thankless.

Therefore, Liu Rong prefers the latter.

To be precise: Liu Rong had been preparing for this day...

"The two schools of Yulin and Huben can be expanded into an army."

"Let them go out and fight again, and accomplish feats that will convince the people;"

"When the Northern Army can no longer sit still and clamors to make achievements, we will let the Yulin and Huben schools become the new Southern and Northern armies of the Han Dynasty."

"As for the Northern Army..."

"Hey;"

"Guanzhong Army?"

"Or the Chang'an Army?"

At this point, the blueprint in Liu Rong's mind has begun to take shape.

——Yulin Army!

——Tiger Guards!

The two newly established standing armies were expanded based on Liu Rong's former prince's guards: Yulin and Huben, and became the new defense force of Chang'an!
As for the Hetao area...

"The Northern Army needs an opportunity to transform from a capital guard army into a standing field army."

"——An opportunity for the Northern Army to proactively request to go to the North to fight instead of staying in Chang'an."

"In this case, what about Hetao..."

"Um……"

(End of this chapter)